Leaders urge farmers to embrace artificial insemination

Leaders in West Pokot County have urged the County and National Government to facilitate the provision of Artificial Insemination (AI) in the area to improve the farmers’ breeds which will, in turn, lead to increased milk production. Led by Kapenguria member of parliament Samuel Moroto, he said that majority of the local residents depend on dairy farming and that the government needs to intervene and salvage farmers from the challenges they face.

“Farmers need assistance from the government to help improve production,” Moroto said.

Mr Moroto urged residents to embrace the Artificial insemination [AI] services for high sustained milk production in the area.

Speaking at Kaibos village, Moroto asked farmers to abandon the traditional fertilization method of using bulls and switch to the modern AI services which he said is an efficient and sure way of improving breeds.

“We want to appeal to our farmers to change the attitude of expecting 10 litres from 10 animals to 20 litres from one animal,” he said. The MP urged farmers in the area to embrace the technology, including mobile services to disseminate and access information on farming.

He said farmers need to practise modern rearing techniques they have learnt to have better productivity. Moroto said farmers needed artificial inseminators who would offer the service to farmers in the county at cheaper costs.

The sentiments were echoed by West Pokot Women representative Regina Nyeris who said the government was better placed to extend the services through extension officers and qualified personnel who would offer the service at a small fee and to cushion farmers from the private inseminators who charge exorbitant prices.

Mrs Nyeris lauded farmers for practising better animal husbandry and urged them to involve experts in their quest to have better breeds since crossbreeding without proper examination of the desired characteristic could hamper the productivity of the stock.

West Pokot County is one of the areas in the country with a large number of livestock farmers, most of whom practice a nomadic system of animal rearing.